


Late Night Favors

by Sanru



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys Kissing, Conflict of Interests, Friendship/Love, Gladnis Week, M/M, Making Out, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 18:37:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12917838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanru/pseuds/Sanru
Summary: Sometime Gladio would swing by his place and visit for a bit.  An hour or two where they could vent and catch up on  each other's lives.  In general be good friends to each other and just hang out.At least that's how they made it appear.





	Late Night Favors

**Author's Note:**

> Gladnis week day one prompt of tattoos and breaking in new bed(ding) 
> 
> This is a challenge for me because romance is by far my worse genre to write and I'm not really one for using prompts in the first place.

**Gladio: hey u awake**

Ignis stared at his phone for another moment before looking at the clock in the upper right corner of the screen.  It was almost midnight, an odd time for anyone to be contacting him that wasn't his charge demanding ice cream or some other type of late night snack.  To be getting a text message from Gladio of all people this late at night, he could only assume that something was wrong.  

**Ignis: Yes I am.  What is the problem?**

Gladio had to have been watching his phone.  Ignis didn't even have a chance to set the phone down before another message was sent.

**Gladio: no problem need a favor can i come over**

Again Ignis’ eyes tracked over to the clock on the corner of his screen.  He would probably be awake for several more hours regardless if Gladio came over or not.  The small table he used to help separate the small galley kitchen in his studio apartment from the rest of the living area still had several heaps of paperwork stacked in neat piles across it ready for review.  Gladio's favor might keep him awake for another hour but it would be a welcomed distraction from the piles of work before him.

**Ignis: Of course.  I shall see you shortly.**

**Gladio: thnx**

Ignis set the phone aside and stood, taking a moment to roll his shoulders and relieve the dull ache that had settled between them.  With a sigh he quickly reorganized the stacks of paperwork to the far end of the table so that Gladio and he could sit facing each other at one end with the paperwork safely out of the way.  It wouldn't be the first late night conversation the two of them had had together, lamenting about something or another over a plate of sweets and mugs of tea, but this was fairly late even by their standards.  

Well, it had been awhile since the two of them had managed to sit down for a spell.  As they aged, their duties to the Crown and their own training had increased exponentially.  One of the stacks on his table wasn't even paperwork from his council duties but rather homework for a historical seminar he was required to take.  A course he was trying to rush through given the fact that he was supposed to be starting a Master's level program at the local university in the next few weeks.

He turned the hob on the stove and set the kettle to boil before puttering around his kitchen.  He was a bit annoyed that he was so low on sweet treats.  He hadn't been paying attention to the stockpile he tried to keep on hand for when Gladio stopped by or in case of Noctis’ midnight snack desires so he wouldn't be baking at two in the morning ever again.  Even he had his limits and nearly falling out of a chair half asleep as he waited for the brownies to finish was not something he wanted to do again.  He would have to set aside some time in the near future to rectify the issue.  Until then, Gladio would have to settle for what he had left. Some soft boiled molasses cookies and ginger tea.

He had just set out the plate of cookies when there was a soft knock on the door.  That had been unusually quick. He eyed the clock on the wall as he walked across the room.  Gladio had to have already been on his way over or just down the street for him to have arrived in less than five minutes.  

Ignis opened the door to find a rather sorry looking Amicitia on the other side.  While Gladio typical wore a Crownsguard track uniform when not on duty, this one had definitely seen better days.  It was rumpled and there was a stain of what appeared to be mustard just to the left of the center of his chest.  His pants were wrinkled and creased making Ignis suspect he had pick them up off the floor before leaving his house.

His face though was more telling than anything that something was amiss.  The dark bags under his eyes only appeared when he was repeatedly getting less than six hours of sleep a night.  As a prince’s personal bodyguard and having expectations of being in perfect physical form, Gladiolus always strove to get seven and a half to eight hours of sleep every night.  The pinched look on his brow spoke more to a physical discomfort than anything else.

“Gladio,” Ignis step back, making a sweeping gesture with his hand to invite his friend in over the threshold.  “You look positively dreadful this evening.  Are you sure there is nothing wrong?”

Gladiolus snorted and amusement as he entered the apartment and toed off his trainers off on the edge of the door mat.  “Yeah Iggy.” Gladio assured him as Ignis closed and locked the door behind him.  “And before you get all worried and wound up in a tizzy or something, I’m here to get some help with it from you.” He lit up suddenly, his visual sweep of the room picking up on what was sitting on the table.  “Molasses cookies?” He said excitedly as he walked over to the table intent on grabbing one.

“To be had with some ginger tea,” Ignis added, following in his wake.  The tone of voice in and of itself was enough to make Gladio redirect his course from the plate of cookies and pull out a chair instead.

“Bossy,” Gladio muttered but there was a smile on his face that took away any heat that might have come from it.  As he sat he added with a nod behind him, “You get a new bed?”

Ignis pause puttering about his kitchen, finishing up the tea, to glance at the other side of the room.  When he had first chosen this apartment, he had focused on its location in relation to the Citadel and Noctis’ future apartment.  Ignis was still trying to figure out why His Majesty had decided to give in to his son's demand and give him his own place but it wasn't his job question a king's decision, only to see it through.  The studio apartment fit his busy lifestyle and the in-suite laundry was something that never occurred to him would be valuable but was something he would never live without again.  

Instead of opting for any kind of living space so to speak, Ignis had chosen to make the remaining floor space outside his kitchen area a bedroom.  He did have a chair for reading in and a small bookcase that held a collection of his favorite works but the bed was both the centerpiece and what he had spent most of his funds on when he first moved in.  It was only a queen but he had gone with the highest of thread counts for the sheets, several layers of soft blankets, a large puffy duvet and enough pillows for him to be able to literally sink into.  His bed was his Haven after a long stressful day and what few hours of sleep he could manage in his busy schedule was optimized by the luxurious feeling of his bed.

While it wasn't new by any stretch, he had recently bought a new duvet and cover for it.  There were several new pillows he couldn't recall getting before the last time Gladio had been by but other than that everything was as it should be.  “I bought some new aesthetics since you've last been here,” he gathered the two mugs of steeping tea and joined Gladio at the table.  “And a new duvet but I assure you my budget could not stand replacing the entire thing at this moment.”

“You, with your Advanced Budgeting System run by your brain, and you're having money issues?” Gladio said in disbelief, snatching up a cookie as soon as the tea mug was set in front of him.  “Thanks.”

Ignis smirked with a small nod in kind, “I didn't say that.  I've been setting aside some additional funds for several courses outside my curriculum.  While the Crown Treasury is willing to pay for several degree options I want to broaden my scope more than they are willing to pay for.”

“You could petition the King or Noct to get by the desk jockeys,” Gladio pointed out having already devoured one cookie.  “You don't have much of a stipend to live on.”

“I have been setting aside a good portion of my paycheck since they started paying me for my services.  Rest assured Gladio, I have plenty of money set aside if the need arise.” Ignis brought his mug to his lips pausing for a moment to add, “However if you are that concerned you can pay for my lunch on Monday and bring it to me in my office.”

Gladio let out a low drawn-out whistle, “Not only are you letting me buy you a meal but you're actually going to take lunch instead of one of those drinkable meal, protein mix things?” His eyes narrowed in mock suspicion, “Who are you and what have you done with my Iggy?”

Ignis chuckle good-naturedly at that.  “I will be spending most of the day finishing up some reports that I needed for Tuesday's quarterly board meetings.  Currently I'm scheduled to work on them from nine until three in the afternoon.”

“Speaking of scheduling and before I forget,” Gladio said reaching for another cookie.  “I'm going to have to bug out of Wednesday's practice half an hour early.  Iris' first recital is that night and both Dad and I are going to make a point to be there for it.”

Ignis reached for his phone, tapping out a quick reminder to himself.  “I take it she's enjoying her dance lessons then?”

Gladio beamed, “Yeah, she's a natural.  Dad's shifting her training around a bit to make use of the speed, grace and hand-eye coordination she's getting from it.  She's really soaking up the quality time with him too which is all I could ask for right now.”

Ignis knew where he was coming from.  He himself had been privy to more than one argument between Gladiolus and Clarus regarding Iris’ upbringing.  It tended to be a sore subject for both of them.  “Indeed.  Now,” he waved his hand off to the side.  “Enough stalling.  What did you have need from me so late at night?  I would have expected you in bed several hours ago.”

Gladio shifted in his chair and a brief winch flashed across his face.  “I was in bed earlier then this damn tattoo starting to bother me.  It's been making it hard to sleep the past couple nights.”

Ignis arched a delicate eyebrow at that, “I believe more than one person warned you about the discomfort it would cause especially when you told them that magnitude of detailing involved in it.”

Gladio sighed and let his shoulders slumped in defeat.  “Yeah yeah, rub it in.  The damn outlining is starting to peel and I can't reach my the back to put more lotion on.  I didn't want to wake up Dad or Iris to give me a hand but I knew you'd be awake so I figured I'd ask.”

Even though Ignis had no desire for tattoo of his own or understood the appeal for such a thing, the lines and shading Gladio was having embedded in his skin was nothing short of a work of art.  He had seen the sketches of the finished piece and the details that the tattoo parlor had provided.  Ignis couldn't help but admit that Gladiolus tattoo artist was an absolute master of her trade.  She had already completed the outlying on his arms and collarbone but the back seem to be where Gladio was having the most difficulties with primarily because it wasn't something he couldn't see or treat on his own.  Coupled with his obsession for it to be perfect and the fact he slept on his back typically, Ignis could understand the difficulty he was going through.

“You do realize that it's going to be even worse when you start getting the shading done?” Ignis pointed out as he gestured for Gladio to take the last cookie, unbothered by the fact he had only had one.  

“Yeah, going to have to have it done in small sections.  No way I'd be able to survive doing the whole back at once again.” Gladio pouted slightly even as he took a big glup from his drink to wash down a cookie with.

“I don't believe there's enough hours in the day to do all the shading at once,” Ignis stood and began gathering up the empty mugs and dish.  “I assume you bought the lotion with you?”

“Yeah,” he pulled it out of his hoodie's pocket, wiggling it slightly as he held it up.  “Right here.”

“Good,” Ignis turned with his hands full of dishes to the sink.  “Make yourself comfortable on the bed, I'll join you in a moment.”

Ignis rinsed off the dishes and dispose of the tea bags before turning back to the rest of the room.  Gladio had pulled off his hoodie and was laying sprawled on his stomach on his bed.  Even standing on the other side of the room Ignis could see the red, irritated skin easily.

“You've been keeping it clean I hope?” He asked as he walked over.  

“Of course.  Don't wanna infection.” Gladio held up the bottle of lotion as he approached, turning his head enough to see him.  “Is there any chance I could steal this bed?”

Ignis snorted in amusement as he rolled up his sleeves, “Only if I get to see you try to carry the whole thing out by yourself.”

Now it was Gladio's turn to make a sound of amusement, “Nope not worth it.  Going to have enough back issues as I get older to begin with.”

Ignis took the bottle from Gladio's hand giving a cursory glance at the back, skimming over the directions for application.  He squirted a generous amount into his palm.  Setting the bottle aside on the nightstand nearby, Ignis took a moment to warm the lotion in his palms before getting to work.

On a good day, Gladio's back felt like concrete with the occasional rock left in it.  On a bad day it felt like concrete with large chunks of gravel all through it.  Today it was obviously not a good day but Ignis didn't dare give him a massage and possibly damage the artwork on his skin.  Instead he settled for rubbing at his friend's neck and around the base of it, well away from the tattoo lines.  “You're rather tense Gladio.  Is everything alright?” he asked as he worked his thumbs in small circles to work out a stubborn knot.

“Yeah, everything's fine,” he moaned into the pillows, clearly enjoying the attention Ignis was lavashing on his neck.

Even though it wasn't really needed, Ignis rub down Gladio's back with lotion again when he was done his neck massage.  He took time tracing over the various muscle groups, layering the lotion onto the skin and carefully working it in with a barely-there touch.  He took extra time just feeling out his friend's back, enjoying the simple act of touching him for purely selfish reasons.

However, all good things had to come to an end, and regretfully Ignis took his hands of the smooth skin.  He didn't even get a chance to stand upright or tell Gladio he was done before a large hand wrapped around his wrist and preventing him from leaving.  Gladio gave his capture wrist a gentle tug.

“No one saw me leave the manor, I took time to make sure I wasn't followed before coming here, and no one will see me leave in the morning.” There was another gentle tug on his wrist, a silent invitation to join him on the bed but the grip was gentle enough he could pull away if he didn't want to.  “Nyx owes me an alibi too, just in case we need it.”

Ignis barely took a moment to look up and make sure the blinds were closed and that he had habitually locked the deadbolt on the door before he was tumbling into bed with his friend.

Lips pressed together insistently even as Gladio manhandled Ignis down onto the duvet cover. His hands began unbuttoning his shirt at a fevered pace while Ignis drag his lotion covered fingers up into his hair to hold his head still so he could ravish his mouth.  Tongues met and a faint whimper escaped Ignis is Gladio twisted his hips to settle between his legs.

It was a dangerous game they played.  When they both realize their attraction to each other, they also realized it was never going to happen.  The conflict of interest for Gladio would be enough that even his Majesty himself couldn't overlook it.  If Gladio ever had to choose between protecting Noctis or protecting Ignis…

Gladio finally got to the last button and forced the shirt open, freeing Ignis’ fingers from his hair and pinned his arms down.  He pressed one last kiss to Ignis’ lips before working his way down his throat, lavishing attention as he moved quickly to his goal.  Ignis moaned as he took a nipple into his mouth, squirming on the bedding so that he could get some pressure and friction against his rapidly swelling cock.

They had tried to deny there mutual attraction and work past it. However, after a year of denying their attraction they knew it was a lost cause so this was what they had to settle for.  Sensual trysts done under the cover of darkness.  Gladiolus sneaking around like a cat burglar in the dead of night just so they could get a moment of blind passion with each other.  Nights out with the friends both in the Glaives and in the crownsguards where Gladio would pretend to drink too much and then flirt insistently with the designated driver for the night.  Ignis would pretend to take it with a modicum of humor, reminding Gladio he was simply drunk while moving away from him.  Internally though he was thrilled with the attention and touches and that one time innocent kiss to his cheek he had pretended to mad about while on the inside he had absolutely melted.  

Gladio forced Ignis’ hands above his head even as he struggled to give the future Sheild back some of the pleasure he was giving him.  He ignored him, going to suck a hickey into his collarbone where it would easily be hidden even as his now free hand reach between them to work their pants off.  Ignis moaned in frustration and pleasure, not quite willing to give in and yet more than willing at the same time.

It wasn't much but they made do with what they had.

And they made it work.


End file.
